The Washington critic., 1887-12-06
HERE WE ARE AGAIN.
TIE FACES OF OLD FAMILIAR
LOBBYISTS At THE HOTELS.
dotcs of Remarkable Men of
This Glass.

btti hbbub ilit w hoh'i7f "hN
the claimants who have been hanging
on by their eyelids for the past ten years
are having their periodical Frightening
up. This occurs always at the first of u
session, and these characters are SO
strange and varied that 1t is worth while
to describe them.
One old man came here when his hair
WIS black, his step was firm aud he had
$4,000 to bis credit Now the $4,000
has gone, his hair has turned to frosted
silver and his beard is as white as the
driven snow. His laugh has become u
sneer, and he goes about the hotels here
IN ragged overcoat, perpctually warm
ing his unglovod hands by holding them
In the side pockets Of the garment His
plump features are wrinkled and all the
light has gone out of his cold blue eyes.
lie has 5000, 900 worth of cotton claims,
and mt the beginning Of every Congress
he feels like II millionaire, and thinks
he will surely get his money.
ANOTHER CoTToN CLAIMANT
is n tall, thin man, with n surprisingly
red nose. He is man Of fine culture,
and can talk the classics with college
professor. He quotes Cicero and Virgil
pnd has great admiration for Julius
Caesar He has had an intimate acquaint-
dnce with the leading men of the South,
and can tell stories by the hour of the
leading generals of the Confederate
Army. He was II member of that army,
and when he came to Washington he
was sleek and well off. His claim has
never been granted, and he is now seedy
and sad.
% BILLY MoARRAnAN
Is back in all his glory, and he has as
much vitality as when he came hero be-
fore the war to prosecute his claim to the
quicksilver mines of the West. He was
young Irishman, living in San Fran
cisco, when he bought this land of
leading AIexican. Other parties dis
puted ms title and got hold of it.
quicksilver mines were discovered
upon it, and ii became at once
worth millions. McGarrahan came to
Washington to get what he called his
rights. He worked for them by the
ordinary methods of lobbying, and
it has been charged time and time again
that leading statesmen have accepted
money from him. He has wasted
enough energy to have made a dozen
fortunes He has wasted, also, for
tune 'yhich he had made in San Fran
cisco, and which he brought to Wash
ington. He is still, however, we'll
dressed, and, from associating so much
with statesmen, has gotten to look like
one. He is as straight as Lake Su-
perior oak. His glossy black hair has
turned to an iron gray, but his step is as
firm as that of II boy He knows every
one, and the man is unknown who does
not know him. He still hopes for his
claim, and he tells me he is confident
that he will push 1t to II successful issue
during the coming Congress. p~,
TIE CONSUL TO ZANZIBAR.
Another character whom the new
Congressman are greeting as they come
in, or, should say, who is greeting all
the new Congressman and trying to get
all he can out of them, is glib Virgin
ian, who is genius in his way. He re-
joices in the title of "judgc," signs him
self ''judge" in the hotel registers and
talks of the time when he was in the
diplomatic service of the United States.
He is not n tall man, but he is remark
ably bright one. He dresses well when
he can afford it, and manages to keep
up good appearance upon very small
capital. At one time, it is said, he was
left Washington for his post. He came
back six months later, saying che had
cruscd all through the Pacific ocean and
he couldn't find the - place any
where"
1t was during this trip that the alleged
heroic deed OF his life occurred. An
English nobleman, with a fair young
daughter, was on one of the ships on
which he Travelled. A storm came up
snd the hurricane rolled the young girl
Into the briny deep. Our Virginia
"Judge" was standing near by us the
Wind swept her away, and with spring
he jumped into the water beside her.
He grasped her dress with his teeth and
kept himself on the waves until the life
boat brought the two again into the ves-
sci. The English nobleman could not
Express his gratitude, and he promised
After the Judges return to Washing
Ion, and when his credit had gone sur.
prisingly low, II paragraph appeared in
the newspapers reciting the above story,
and stating that the English nobleman
had died and left the Judge legacy of
10000. Upon this it was surprising
how
MANY MEN KNEW JUDGE BLANK.
Such friends as had deserted him
came back and his old crones stuck to
him like burrs. In company with one
Of them he called upon leading clothier
of Washington, and upon his congratu-
lating him upon his good luck he showed
him the paragraph in one of the news
papers. The clothicr was at once taken
in. He told the Judge he ought to have
some new clothes, and upon the Judge
asserting he furnished him with II com
pletc wardrobe, sending out to buy such
things as he had not in his stock. For
The next year the Judge was exceed
lngly well dressed, but n few days after
the purchase, and while the bills were
yet unpaid, paragraph appeared stat
ing that there was some mistake about
the legacy. And many doubt whether
the whole story was not Il mistake.
Toillustrate the assurance of this Judge
and he is type of II certain class of
claimants in Washington-he called at
the White House one day to see the
President and was told that the Presi.
dent was busy. He assured the mcsscn.
ger that he had an appointment with the
President, and, placing his hand on his
shoulder, he whispercd 'Just you tell
him that Judge Blank of Virginia wants
10 see him."
The messenger, doubling much, finally
said he would consult one of the secre.
taries. He did so, and came back in q
mompnt with thp answer that the prpsi.